new rome, home percabeth
by ofthehunt
Summary: After Percy had offered to show his girlfriend around New Rome, Annabeth is reluctant— even more so after he refers to it as their temporary home. On top of this, she's feeling uneasy around the Romans, particularly Reyna. She doesn't belong here, and neither does Percy.


Annabeth didn't want to go out and "explore their new _home" _as Percy had so kindly put. Her groans and all attempts to convince her boyfriend to stay at home were in vain seeing as Annabeth could be as stubborn as a mule sometimes. Well, ninety percent of the time the Son of Poseidon was the most stubborn boy she had ever known and she knew better than to try and fight with him. It was Percy's own fault, his own demise – she had prepared herself for that, after all those times. It made Annabeth somewhat proud of her boyfriend, being recognized as the leader of Camp Half Blood, but it only meant that he would be in constant danger; and he wouldn't hesitate to save others before himself. If only Annabeth had realized that all the parties and movies in the world wouldn't disperse the responsibility in Percy; but it must've helped a little, right? All the late night talks counted for something, or so the Athena girl hoped.

Hugging herself in a vain try to warm her upper body, Annabeth looked around the well lighten paths as she walked beside Percy, hand in hand; they were supposed to go out, go to a park and, while they weren't yet adults, build a life. Annabeth felt like her boyfriend was on edge, always looking around, trying to see if he could find something he's looking for. What could that something be? _Or someone._ Although the latter was unlikely since they were fresh faces and, in all honesty, Percy hadn't been the easiest person to converse with as of late. He'd had his memories wiped, and all he'd remember was her name: _Annabeth_. Maybe Percy was just a bit confused over everything had happened. For example, the way she'd kissed him before the entire population of New Rome, and then judo flipped him. All he wanted to do after unpacking half of their things was to go out, show Annabeth the town in all its greatness. She couldn't stop thinking about those words. _We can build a life, here, in New Rome. We'll grow old, have a family, and build something permanent_. Percy belonged at Camp Half Blood, but what he'd claimed was too sweet to turn down.

Shaking her head lightly, the blonde tried to think of something else or nothing at all. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Annabeth smiled lightly as Percy turned to tell her that they were finally at the park that everyone was talking about. It was a nice place, a bit too crowded for Annabeth's personal tastes, but if Percy wanted to be there then she wouldn't be the one to drag both of them back home, to lounge on the couch and just watch movies they've watched over and over again. "_I'll go get us something to drink. So, stay here and I'll be back in a sec._" Percy told Annabeth. She smiled and nodded, letting her boyfriend know that she had heard him. Feeling the heat increase, the blonde took off her worn jacket and folded it over her arms, crossed over her chest. She let out a sigh, temporarily inflating her cheeks — even if someone was across the room, they could hear, well see, the sigh that left her lips. Looking at her wrist watch, the blonde pressed her lips together as she began thinking that Percy was taking a bit too long. She had to be patient.

Something felt wrong to her, though. It had nothing to do with the fact that Percy was probably making the drinks himself, no. Annabeth felt observed, like she had a pair of eyes glued to her, watching her every movement. She felt uncomfortable, to say the least. Maybe it was all in her imagination, yet the Athena child couldn't help but discretely look around the bar, trying to see if someone was indeed watching her or if she was just going insane. After a few rounds of looking, Annabeth spotted a group of people looking at her; some were trying to be discrete yet there were two of them that simply wouldn't take their eyes off of her. She narrowed her eyebrows in confusion, a lump forming in her throat. Annabeth gulped before she turned her back on the group. They wouldn't try anything in front of a crowded park… would they? The blonde ran her hands on her neck, feeling uncomfortable. Her hands were shaking, she could feel her fingers trembling on the back of her neck. Quickly she placed her arm under her jacket again, trying to calm down her nervousness, trying to forget about the brown haired praetor, the blonde haired bear sacrificer and a face she hadn't seen when they'd landed.

Her nerve wracking thoughts were interrupted by Percy returning with their drinks. Annabeth jumped a bit when he called out her name, quickly waking up from her momentary disconnection with the rest of the world. "What? Yeah, I'm here." Annabeth pressed her lips together at the embarrassment, even if it was just her Seaweed Brain. "What took you so long? The stall looks crowded but not _that_ crowded." She said, quickly, her brow furrowing, displaying the scowl she so often portrayed. Percy shrugged, "_I don't know,_" she said. And on that moment the blonde knew she wouldn't get a decent explanation out of her boyfriend. Playing around with the straw of her drink, Annabeth kept her eyes away from the same group of people she had seen earlier. Maybe they were still looking, maybe not. But what she didn't know, couldn't hurt her right? Besides, what good would it do if she looked again? No good. "Y_ou okay, Wise Girl?_" Her boyfriend asked. Annabeth looked at Percy, still with the straw in her mouth. After she finished taking a sip from the drink, she licked her lips and raised her eyebrows. "What?" She asked, her tongue tripping over itself.

Percy laughed a bit before she asked the same question again. "Oh, yeah. I'm totally fine." Annabeth began saying. Then, she began explaining. "I just — Reyna, that's her name, right? I mean, she could've been looking at anyone else around me but it was still weird. It was weird, right?" Annabeth asked, biting her lower lip. The blonde nodded at where they were. Only, they weren't there anymore. Confusion overwhelmed Annabeth and, by the look on Percy's face, the boy was confused as well. "Maybe I'm just seeing things" Annabeth said, laughing at her own mistake. "But she was sure they were there. They were, right?"


End file.
